Local teammates Wharton and Sharp withdraw from Australian GP after heavy crash, injury concerns
Australian James Wharton and Kiwi Louis Sharp withdrew from Sunday at the Grand Prix due to injury concerns.
Australian James Wharton and Kiwi Louis Sharp withdrew from the FIA Formula 3 feature race after a heavy crash between the teammates on Saturday.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) March 7, 2026
Sharp and Wharton collide at Turn 5.#F3 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/sPWU6bzZY3
The PREMA duo were engaged in battle in the top 10, running side-by-side for the opening corners through the F3 season opener before a big crash.
Wharton was twitchy through turn four and forced his teammate off the road, with Sharp rejoining on the inside into turn five.
The two collided and went straight into the barriers.
“Mate, this guy is a f***ing idiot!” yelled Sharp over the radio.
The race was suspended and never resumed; with Bruno Del Pino declared the winner.
The pair withdrew from Sunday's feature race due to injury concerns.
“Following medical evaluations after the accident, the team and medical staff have jointly taken the decision to withdraw both drivers...”
“We are pleased to confirm that both James and Louis are in good spirits and recovering well. Both drivers are expected to return to the cockpit in the coming weeks.”
There are injury concerns for the pair, with Wharton taking to Instagram to say that the decision was made after a final x-ray.
Meanwhile, the stewards noted that Sharp continued at full throttle off-track, putting him in a position to attack.
“Sharp had not established sufficient position to have gained the racing room on the inside. The stewards determine that Sharp is wholly responsible for the collision...”
The Kiwi was slapped with a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his licence.
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